Female urban-pop...

In a new interview with Billboard, iHeartMedia executive Tom Polemansays he's anticipating new music from Rihanna and Kanye West this fall and that it’s only a matter of time before we hear it!

Poleman being an industry bigwig does make this news somewhat more believable. However, this is not direct confirmation that Rihanna is releasing her new album this year (we will hear it from her first, her words). Writing camps for the project have been happening as recently as last week and she has been seen in the studio still recording. Though "new music" was mentioned, so another new single perhaps? Even if R8 was pushed back to next year, would this be so bad? If she wants to put out a hit-worthy album, maybe this is the way to go. In a way I'm hoping this happens. I want her to be a candidate for next year's Super Bowl. This would serve as fantastic cross-promo, not just for the new album, but for her tour as well. This worked really well for Beyoncé, though the truth is, Bey didn't need SB to sell tickets. It just magnified the hype by a billion. I still have a horrible feeling that Taylor Swift is the strongest contender, but we should get the announcement around October, so soon enough.Anyway, while we're here, check out PUMA's 'Forever Faster' campaign featuring Rihanna, which was released last night: